The Miami Heat may not be done searching for help after their encouraging five-game West Coast road trip. At 5-6 and sitting eighth in the Eastern Conference, they still have plenty of time before the Feb. 11, 2027 trade deadline, but the market has already started to stir.
One proposed path would send Dejounte Murray to Miami, giving the Heat a backcourt upgrade built around creation, playmaking, and defense. In the suggested framework, Andrew Wiggins and Nikola Jovic would head to New Orleans, while Murray and Herbert Jones would come back to Miami. The deal is presented as one that would match salaries and clear league approval, according to the ESPN machine.
Murray’s numbers this season show he’s still producing while working his way back from a major injury. He is averaging 13.4 points on 43.1 percent shooting, along with 4.6 rebounds, 4.4 assists, and 1.6 steals in 31.3 minutes across nine games, all starts.
It has been more than a year since he suffered an Achilles tendon rupture in late January of 2025. He returned late in the 2026 season and then posted 16.7 points, 5.4 rebounds, 6.4 assists, and 1.6 steals in 27.8 minutes over 14 games, all starts.
The Pelicans, meanwhile, are near the bottom of the Western Conference at 12th, and the article frames a change of scenery as something that would help the one-time All-Star. Murray is also on an expiring contract, with a $32.79 million salary this season and a $30.75 million player option for 2027-28.
For Miami, the idea is straightforward: add a shot-creator and facilitator who also carries a respected defensive reputation. And with a five-game homestand coming up, the Heat will have a chance to keep building urgency.
Their upcoming stretch includes Cleveland on Nov. 13, Detroit on Nov.
14, Houston on Nov. 16, Milwaukee on Nov. 18, and Oklahoma City on Nov.
In Other News...
Heat Offensive Shift Under Erik Spoelstra May Explain This Turnaround
After an 0-4 start, Miami has leaned harder into a more direct offensive approach, and Davion Mitchell says the shift has centered on pick-and-rolls without abandoning the up-tempo style Erik Spoelstra wants. The Heat have pushed their pick-and-roll frequency from 29.1 to 38 per 100 possessions, while still playing with the kind of pace that has them third in the NBA at 102.8 possessions per 48 minutes.
The early results have been hard to ignore. Miami is producing 1.13 points per possession in pick-and-roll situations, which ranks second in the league by tracking data, and that kind of efficiency helps explain why the offense has looked far more settled since the slow start. If the Heat are going to keep climbing, this blend of speed and structure may be the formula that keeps carrying them. [Read more 🡒]
Heat Road Trip Showed The Identity This Team Might Be Building
The Heat just finished a road trip that felt like a snapshot of where this group is right now: uneven at times, but increasingly hard to knock off course. A blowout loss to the Lakers opened the trip on a rough note, yet Miami answered with an overtime win against the Clippers, then kept pressing through a loss to the Warriors before closing with back-to-back victories over Sacramento and Utah. It was the kind of stretch that can reveal more than a clean run of games, and Miami showed enough resilience to leave with a solid grade and a sense that the culture is trending in the right direction.
There are still obvious issues to sort through, especially on defense, and the trip also came with concern around Giannis health hanging over the bigger picture. Even so, the Heat looked like a team that can absorb setbacks without unraveling, which matters as much as any single result in November. A B grade fits the moment: progress, not perfection, with a clearer identity starting to take shape and plenty left to clean up before it becomes something more reliable. [Read more 🡒]
Heat Fans Are About To Learn What Bam And Giannis Really Are
The early returns on Bam Adebayo and Giannis Antetokounmpo sharing the floor were rough enough to raise real questions about how the pairing would work for Miami. The Heat opened the season looking out of sync with those two together, and the numbers reflected it, with shaky defense and a negative net rating making the fit look more awkward than anticipated.
Over the past seven games, though, the picture has started to change. Miami has gone 5-2 during that stretch, and the defensive and overall efficiency numbers have improved enough to suggest the group is finding some traction. The next stretch will be the real test, with a schedule that leans heavily toward playoff-contending opponents and should show whether this recent surge is a short-term spike or something more durable. [Read more 🡒]